Famous Women in History

A Women’s History Month Lesson Plan

March is Women’s History Month. Using Flocabulary’s Women’s Rights Song as a jumping off point, this lesson plan allows students to focus in on key moments in the history of women’s rights and create a kinetic timeline of famous women in history. At the end of the lesson, students will use historical examples to support a plan for the future of women’s rights.

The Lesson Plan

1. Watch Flocabulary’s Women’s Rights video. As students are watching, ask them to note down the different rights that women fought for throughout history, as well as current issues that women face. These issues are:

Equal rights in the home

Inability to own land

Prohibition from voting

Women being sent back to the home after WWII

Educated women being bored at home

Unequal pay

Women currently owning 1% of land worldwide

Women not being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia

No American head of state.

Explain to students that they will be learning more about the fight for these rights relate to periods of history through a research project and a creative presentation.

2. Break your class into 6 groups. Assign each group one of the time periods in history:

The French Revolutionary Era

The Civil War Era

Early 1900s

Post World War II

1960s-1980s

The Modern Era

3. Each group should research and answer the following questions for its time period. They can begin research by clicking on the lyrics of our Women’s Rights song, and then using other online research techniques to find more:

What major historical events happened in that period? How did these events affect women?

What major rights issues were women facing during that period?

Who were famous women during your time period who led the fight for specific rights?

What were major women’s rights accomplishments during your time period? What important limitations still remained?

From the beginning of your time period until the end, what changed for women?

4. After students have been given time to research, each group should create a skit that explains the answers to the questions. Give the groups time to write and practice their skits.

5. Started with the French Revolution group, have each group perform for the class while other students take notes. At the end this kinetic timeline, ask students:

Based on the successes and failures of historical women in their fight for rights, how do think current women’s rights issues should be addressed?

You can use this question as a basis for class discussion or as an essay prompt.

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